Consequences
by Sable Xane
Summary: Sho could be more of a bastard than anyone ever realized. This had consequences, both bad and, in the end, good for Kyoko. Now she must face a whole new set of problems as well as the old ones. Can she find happiness? Rated M for dark themes and safety. See first chapter for warnings. Eventual Ren/Kyoko
1. Chapter 1

**Consequences**

**Summery:** Sho was more of a bastard than anyone ever realized. This has consequences, both bad and, in the end, good for Kyoko. She must face a whole new set of problems as well as the old ones. Can she find happiness? Eventual Ren/Kyoko

**A/N: ** This idea has been bugging me for a while now so I really felt the need to write it. Considering the dark mindedness parts of the fanfiction community I am really kind of surprised I haven't seen a story like this yet. If know of one that goes in this direction, please let me know because I want to read it.

**Questions? Read this First!** This story starts about three months after Kyoko and Shotaro show up in Tokyo. They left Kyoto right after finishing middle school and typical Japanese school year runs from April to March. In a practical time line that would make it June. Sho just had his sixteenth birthday (May 29th) and Kyoko is still fifteen. For those that don't know, high school is not a requirement in Japan. That means it is fairly common to see a fifteen-year-old working and not attending school.

Also, for anyone who has read my long delayed HP/FF7 story... um, I will update it eventually.

**Warnings: **Non-graphic non-con in this chapter only with mentions later, other non-graphic underage sexual situations, language, Japanese name order and suffixes, and some other stuff that I will warn you about later.

Sorry for the long notes.

**Chapter One**

**The End is Just a New Beginning **

Stepping off the train that first day in Tokyo had been like stepping onto the soil of a new world compared to the Ryokan where she and Sho had grown up. It had been more than a little frightening, but Sho had been with her so she had endured. The first two weeks they had lived in an inexpensive hotel. The very first day Sho had vanished to parts unknown and Kyoko had begun looking for a job.

It was completely by accident that she found the Darumaya. She'd been wandering in and out of small shops and restaurants all morning when she had encountered the wonderful smell of traditional Japanese food wafting out into the street. Her stomach had angrily reminded her that she'd missed breakfast in her rush that morning. So she had wandered in and sat down. The menu at the Darumaya was a long list of foods that she was very familiar with, as they had served most of the same items at the Fuwa Ryokan.

It seemed as though the lunch crowd had simply followed her in, because as she finished her meal she looked up to see the couple who apparently owned the restaurant trying to keep up with the rush. She didn't even think it over as she picked up her own dishes and headed toward the back. No one stopped her and she mindlessly started to wash the accumulating mess in the sink. The Okami had only paused for a few seconds to watch her the first time she came in to deposit more dishes. After that she simply kept working. A couple of hours later had seen the back of the lunch rush and Kyoko finally looked up, satisfied that the kitchen was acceptably clean (read spotless).

It was only after that she came to realize what she had done. She had apologized profusely but was quickly waved off. And so she found her first job in Tokyo. The Taisho and Okami were kind people. She would have gladly worked for them full time, but they didn't need that much help. They would put her to work during their busiest hours and then inevitably send her off with more food than she could possibly eat in one day. Of course the food came in handy in the weeks before she and Sho saved up enough for an apartment. Well, Kyoko saved and Sho auditioned.

Eventually, even though the pay was good, Kyoko had to look for second and then third job to pay for Sho's expensive tastes. She simply could not make enough working the hours the Darumaya couple were able to give her. When they found out she was working additional jobs to pay for a rather expensive apartment they offered her their spare room above the restaurant. No matter how many times she refused they kept offering any time she let it slip just how tired she was getting. They didn't understand why it was so important for her to keep the apartment. They didn't understand because she didn't tell them despite the fact that they were her favorite people in Tokyo.

Well, besides Sho. No one was better than Sho.

She had always believed in Sho's talent despite that niggling voice in the back of her head that told her if all it took was looks and talent then a lot more people would be famous. Apparently he'd done well in his auditions though, because he had been signed by the Akatoki agency. They had fast tracked him. His album had come out after only a few weeks and sold faster than anyone could have expected. Things were moving so quickly, but Kyoko could only feel pride for her friend. She didn't let the spark of worry show. Sho was changing and not all of those changes were good.

She shook her thoughts away, she was just tired. She was no stranger to the feeling, but it wore on her anyway. It seemed like she was never home, and when she was Sho was gone. Still, anything was worth it as long as Sho was happy. Everything she did was for his sake.

She exited the elevator trying to reach her key while still keeping a firm hold on her grocery bags. It was one of those rare days when she was home early enough to cook. It had become normal to make sure that there was food that was easy to reheat available for Sho when he came home. Everything was cooked and portioned out in the fridge with neat little labels. It was sometimes one of the only ways she would know if he had been home at all.

She called a cheerful Tadaima as she kicked off her shoes and went to the kitchen. It was no surprise to her that he wasn't home. He hadn't been home for at least three days now. She was starting to get a little concerned, but an additional phone simply wasn't in her strict budget yet, so there was little she could do but wait.

The early afternoon light faded as the hours passed. She was perfectly content as she cleaned out and restocked the fridge with a fresh batch of Sho's favorite foods. Cooking soon turned to cleaning the small apartment. She was almost an obsessively clean housekeeper. It was partly due to her perfectionist upbringing, both with her mother and at the Ryokan, and partly due to her own personality quirks. By the time she was done she'd returned the whole apartment to it's normal state of spotlessness. The futons were aired out and all the dirty clothes were freshly washed.

She knew it was starting to get late just by looking out the window. The sky was stained the red of another dying day. She made one last slow tour of the apartment making sure there was nothing else for her to do. At last satisfied she sat down in the living room. The TV blinked on a moment later and she flipped through the stations until she came to an entertainment news program. The show was nearing its halfway mark. Kyoko was tired enough that she only gave the show a minimum of attention as she listened for news about the only famous person she cared about. The reporter droned on for a while before saying anything that caught Kyoko's attention.

"... there are rumors that Momose Itsumi will sign on to a second season as well." The reporter paused briefly to check her notes. "In other news, newcomer, Fuwa Sho, is quickly rising up the charts with his single, _A New Girl_. The sixteen-year-old has only been on the scene for a couple of months, and already he has girls all over Japan swooning. We will have to keep our eyes on this rising star." There was another brief pause. "It has just been announced that Tsuruga Ren will be appearing in..."

She turned the TV off again, not wanting news of that wanna-be actor ruining the good news about Sho. "He must be so excited! No wonder he hasn't had time to come home!" She squealed happily. She allowed herself to flop down onto the comfortable couch as she daydreamed about Sho's success. She had, of course, bought his album as soon as it had come out. He'd brought her a copy home, but she had wanted to do her part to help sales. She also frequently visited the payphone near the Darumaya to call in to several radio stations and request his songs.

She must have dosed off because she found herself waking to the sound of the front door opening. A quick glance at the clock told her it was after eleven and she couldn't have been asleep for more than two hours. She was groggy but hurried into the front hall. Sho was sitting taking off his shoes. "Sho-chan, okaeri!" she greeted happily. She came to a stop next to him and froze at the cold look he met her with.

He didn't say anything as he got up and pushed passed her. She followed behind him slowly as he entered the kitchen. She hesitated as she watched him rummage in the fridge. This was one of those changes that concerned her. Her once kind and, at times, slightly awkward friend had been becoming increasingly cold toward her. She would shrug it off as nerves, fatigue, and stress, but it wasn't getting better. She didn't know how he acted around others because she only ever saw him at home, but it did make her wonder if perhaps he acted like this around her because she knew him best. On very bad days she told herself he only acted that way because he trusted her to be able to take it. "What's wrong Sho?"

He growled low in his throat and slammed the refrigerator door causing her to jump. All he had in his hand was a cup of his favorite pudding. He leaned against the counter and pulled a spoon from the drawer beside him. "What's wrong?" This was not good. He snatched the lid off and licked it before throwing it in the sink. "What's wrong?" He laughed cruelly this time and Kyoko took a reflexive step backwards. He was drunk. She didn't know how she had missed it. The smell was rather pungent and he was supporting himself with the counter.

"I have been working hard every day trying to get out into the public. I finally have a single on the charts and ONE program talks about me for a measly twenty seconds. Twenty SECONDS! Then, they go on to talk about that no talent, platform wearing idiot for five minutes. No one will even remember that they mentioned me at all."

She should have known. Sho had taken to ranting about Tsuruga Ren and blaming him for various problems that he had encountered. He stuffed another spoonful of the dessert into his mouth. "Then, to top it off, Shoko makes me come home, to you." He took several more bites in quick succession finishing off the small pudding. He tossed the whole thing into the sink, not caring about the mess he'd just made. He ignored the hurt look that Kyoko had been unable to hide and walked back past her into the living room.

Kyoko watched him go before she cleaned up his mess. She waited several moments before she slowly walked into the living room. He was watching a variety show, but he wasn't smiling or laughing like he normally would. She walked up behind him and wrinkled her nose at the awful smell. Alcohol and smoke. It wasn't the first time he'd gone out drinking. It wasn't even that hard to find places that would serve minors in a big city like Tokyo. Especially minors who weren't afraid to name drop.

It was probably the thing that bothered her the most. He was a truly mean drunk. He always seemed to come home angry when he was drunk too. The last time he'd come home drunk he'd been downright cruel before getting sick and passing out. She'd covered him up where he lay and cleaned up his mess. He'd apologized the next morning and, like always, she'd forgiven him.

She shook her head and mentally justified his dark attitude. It wasn't his fault.

"What can I do to help?" She asked quietly.

He snorted derisively. "Grow a pair of tits and then come suck my dick."

She gasped at his crude suggestion. He'd always been a playboy. He was handsome and girls simply couldn't help loving him. But he had always kept it clean in front of her, even when he was at his worst. "Sho!" she cried out in surprise.

He turned off the TV and angrily threw the remote down. He stood and stalked around the couch toward her. "What? Don't act like you don't want me? A flat chested, plain and boring girl like you should be honored that I would even look twice. Shoko made me come home before I could find company and I'm horny. You're here and I happen to know you're in love with me. So if you want to do something to make me feel better, lift your skirt, and be grateful!"

She was taking a step back for every one he took toward her. For the first time she was truly scared of the anger on his face. Her back hit the wall. "Please Sho, don't act like this. It's not you, it's the alcohol."

He growled and smacked her hard across the face. "Don't tell me what to do you clingy little bitch!" He grabbed her by her hair and slammed her head back against the wall. "I'll drink if I want to!" He used his grip on her hair to sling her down and straddled her legs. "You're going to get exactly what you've been wanting from me. You're just like all those other sluts back in Kyoto. You whine and beg for my attention and then pretend to be sweet and innocent when I finally ask you to spread your legs. That's why I like the girls here. There are always those more than happy to find a dark corner for a quick fuck."

Kyoko's ears were ringing and she couldn't seem to focus on his words. He'd never, ever hurt her before. Not physically at least. She tried to push him off of her.

"Oh no you don't."

She struggled harder when she heard and felt fabric rip, but he punched several times until the shock and pain of it caused her to go limp under him. The black spots dancing in front of her eyes distracted her completely and she no longer knew what he was saying or understood what he was doing. He was manhandling her and she felt pain in new ways.

She didn't know how long it had gone on, but when he moved off of her she was mostly naked and hurting all over. She curled in on herself, crying. "Don't cry, you little slut. You finally got what you wanted. You've been panting after me like a bitch in heat for years!" She flinched when she heard him stomp down the hall. The front door slammed a moment later.

She lay there until she manged to get herself somewhat under control. She forced herself to sit up. The clock over the TV swam in and out of focus, obliviously declaring it to be after two in the morning. She took stock of herself. Other than her socks and the remains of her shirt she was naked. She looked down and saw blood and other fluids on the floor between her legs. She felt sharp pains and deep aches in places and ways she had never known possible. She stood up dizzily and stumbled to the bathroom. She was violently sick. The shock and horror of what had happened was trying to overwhelm her. She sobbed for a few moments sitting against the bathtub. She didn't allow herself long before climbing up and into the shower.

She cleaned up as quickly as her body would let her, scrubbing hard enough to leave her skin an angry red. She couldn't look at her self in the mirror when she got out. She dressed again and then cleaned up all evidence of what had happened in the living room. She bagged her ruined clothes in the trash, put on her shoes, and walked out the door. At first she'd had no goal beyond getting out. She didn't have a phone, nor anyone to call, but she couldn't stay there. She was afraid of him coming back. It was an alien feeling for her. She had never feared Shotaro before, not really. Even when he was angry it had never once crossed her mind that he would hurt her. Tonight he had been a complete stranger in familiar skin.

She found her feet carrying her to the Darumaya and it really wasn't a long walk. She always felt safe there. She was no longer sure of the time when she got to the restaurant and she hesitated knocking. She didn't want to be rude and wake them up, but the pain in her head was starting to make it hard to keep her eyes open. She was actually a little worried that she might be hurt worse than she thought.

A twinge of pain at her left temple forced her to give in and she knocked softly. She didn't have to wait long before the door opened. Taisho stood there cautiously, already dressed for the morning. The wary look on his face quickly turned to one of surprise then concern.

"Kyoko!"

All she got out was a quiet, "Can I stay here?" before she passed out into his arms.

XXX

She slowly started to come back to. She could hear several voices speaking quietly near her, but it took her a few moments before she understood anything that was being said.

"... however she or someone else cleaned her up rather thoroughly. We, of course, ran the rape kit anyway, but I'm not sure if we will be able to get any viable DNA from it. We will have to wait for her to wake up. Hopefully she will be willing to talk about what happened." This voice was kind, but she didn't know it.

She heard them moving around and pretended to be asleep. It was obvious that she had been brought to a hospital. She wasn't happy about it, but considering the circumstances she couldn't blame the Taisho and Okami for their actions. Still, she had no intentions of telling them who hurt her. Sho had been drunk. It wasn't his fault. He didn't mean it. She suddenly found herself being hugged and she tensed. She didn't realized that she'd started crying again.

"Shh. You're safe now." Okami was rocking her gently as she spoke in a soothing voice.

Kyoko let the sound of it wash over her. In her head the same thoughts kept repeating themselves like a mantra. _He was drunk. It wasn't his fault. He didn't mean it. He couldn't have. _

**TBC**

Coming up next time:

"_We need to contact your guardians."_

_Kyoko tensed under the scrutinizing gaze of the doctor, but didn't say anything. How did she explain that her father was dead, she hadn't seen or heard from her mother since she was seven, and that her legal guardians were her "rapist's" parents?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Consequences **

**A/N&Warning:** I'll try and keep this brief, but I felt it needed saying. I have worked in the past with law enforcement and the victims of abuse. It is never pretty. If you have ever seen a crime drama dealing with abuse, sexual and/or physical, you have at least gotten a taste of what it is like. I will tell you now that it is every bit that bad and can be much worse. It is never something to ignore or look away from. The doctors, officers, and psychologists in this story are all based on real people I have known in the past. The frank way they will speak to Kyoko is only one method that is used to deal with victims. They do not coddle her for reasons that will be partly explained. If you still have questions as to why they act the way they do I will try to explain it in an author note after it is no longer relevant to the plot.

I was going to post this last week, but I had issues getting through it.

**Chapter Two**

**Acceptance is the First Step to Recovery**

She wasn't sure how long she had spent crying before managing to calm down again. Kyoko forced down her shaky emotions and sat up. Okami-san was looking at her with eyes filled with worry. She felt bad for making the woman worry about her. "Gomen nasai, Okami-san. I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm fine, really." She tried to push herself out of the bed but Okami quickly put a restraining hand on her arm.

"Kyoko-chan, you are not fine. You've been badly hurt."

Kyoko began to shake her head in denial, but stopped quickly as the world spun around her.

Someone moved toward Kyoko from the side. She wanted to draw away but all she could do was close her eyes in an attempt to stave off the dizziness she was feeling.

"You have a severe concussion, among various other injuries. We were quite concerned when you lost consciousness before you could be examined. Concussions are not to be taken lightly." This was the same quiet voice as before, but it held a more stern tone.

Kyoko finally looked up slowly. The woman was matronly with a gentle round face and slightly plump figure. She was exactly the kind of woman that Kyoko imagined her grandmother would have been had she had a grandmother. Her name tag read Kobayashi followed by a series of letters that Kyoko wasn't quite sure about other than the woman was some kind of doctor.

Kyoko looked away, unwilling to look the woman in the face. There was something about that kind yet stern demeanor that unsettled her for some reason. She caught sight of the Taisho and another man in a suit standing solemnly in the corner. They weren't speaking at the moment, but both were watching her intensely.

Kyoko complied when the doctor asked her to look back toward her and flinched away as a bright light was shown in her eyes. Kobayashi-sensei checked her over, bringing Kyoko's attention to several injuries that she hadn't taken notice of. Other than some bad scrapes and bruises, the most noticeable of these was her tightly bandaged left wrist, which the doctor confirmed to be broken and would be put in a cast later.

The Okami-san had moved away and sat in a chair next to Kyoko's bed. The doctor backed away as she finished her assessment and nodded to the man standing next to Taisho. Apparently this was what the man had been waiting on because he finally approached Kyoko.

"Mogami-san, I am Detective Shijima. I will be working this case. I need you to tell me what happened.

Kyoko froze. She knew it had been coming, but she still wasn't prepared for it. "I..." She simply didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell the truth. They would try and punish Sho. It wasn't his fault. He didn't mean it. He was just drunk... But, if it wasn't his fault, then it could only be hers. How to get them to see that though? "I... fell?" It was the oldest, most cliche excuse in the book, but what else was there? After all, she had fallen to the floor, Sho hadn't thrown her that hard after all.

She didn't elaborate as the detective's face darkened. She could tell that he was restraining himself from saying something. "Well, that was a nasty fall then. Would you care to tell me about the events that led to this 'fall'?"

Kyoko bit her lip and winced. She hadn't realized how sore it was. She decided quickly to go with a version of the truth. She would just leave out the more... questionable parts. "I got home from work early." She slowly told her story with enough detail that she hoped to distract her audience from the fact that she wasn't telling them much at all. "I woke up a while later. I fell in the hall. I guess I didn't realize that I was hurt that bad."

They had remained silent as she spoke, but it was obvious from their faces that they weren't convinced. "And why did you go to the restaurant?"

"I didn't feel safe at the apartment." She'd said it without thinking and realized instantly that she'd given something away. "Uh, because I might, um, fall again?"

It was Kobayashi-sensei who sighed heavily and answered that statement. "Mogami-san, we can not help you if you aren't honest with us. What has been done to you is a violation that many consider worse than outright murder. And do not mistake us. We _do_ know what happened to you. What we need you to tell us is who, so that they can answer for what they did before they do it to someone else."

"HE WOULDN'T DO THAT!" Her uninjured hand flew to cover her mouth.

Shijima sighed this time. "No matter what the circumstances may be, it is likely that if someone gets away with such a thing, they are far more likely to do it again. And in situations were they know their victims... Well, you could be his target because he knows you wont turn him in. You are at the beginning of what could become a dangerous and possibly deadly cycle of abuse."

Kyoko was silent for a few moments trying to think of how to answer that. Her head was spinning, and not just from the concussion. It was so hard to think like this. "Why do you think I know him?" she finally asked.

Shijima shook his head knowingly. "Just how often to you think victims of violence try to protect complete strangers?"

Kyoko couldn't stand the looks they were giving her. She wanted so badly to explain what a huge misunderstanding this was. They could only be thinking those things because they didn't know Sho like she did. They didn't know about the stress he had been under or how useless she was sometimes. But she didn't know how to explain it without giving him away. She knew that even after she explained it they would cause trouble for Sho.

What could she do? "I... he..."

"It's okay Mogami-san. Just start with his name."

"NO!" She took several deep breaths. "I won't tell you who he is. This is... This is all just a huge misunderstanding. He didn't mean to hurt me. He was drunk. He doesn't even like me like that. We're just friends and he had a bad day."

She saw Kobayashi-sensei and Detective Shijima exchange a glance. "Tell me this then, Mogami-san, does he have these 'bad days' often?" asked Kobayashi-sensei.

Kyoko slowly shook her head. "He has come home drunk a couple of times since we moved here, but he has never hurt me before. That's what I'm telling you. Things just got out of hand. Maybe... maybe his drink was spiked? He wasn't acting like himself."

Another look was exchanged, but Kyoko didn't see it this time as her mind started conjuring images of a faceless evil who was drugging her poor Sho-chan.

"No names, but who is he to you? What is the status of your relationship with him?" asked Shijima.

Kyoko looked up at them wondering if there was a trick in that question. She decided that maybe it was best just to answer. She had given too much away for them to be satisfied without more answers. So long as she didn't tell them his name... right?

"We have known each other since we were kids. He asked me to come with him from... home after middle school. I work normal jobs, pay for the apartment, and clean and such while he tries to achieve his dream."

She stopped at that. They couldn't figure anything out from that could they? She hadn't said anything about what his dream was, where they had come from, or mentioned that they hadn't told anyone their plans before they left.

There was a prolonged silence as everyone seemed to digest what she had said. It drew out awkwardly until she was picking on the bandages wrapping her left hand.

"Don't do that, Mogami-san. You could cause the bones to shift. Trust me when I say that it would be uncomfortable at best," said Kobayashi-sensei in a soft tone.

She forced her hands to still, but it only worked to build up the tension she was trying so hard to repress. "What happens now?" she asked sounding rather pathetic to her own ears.

"Well now, that depends on you. There are a lot of paths that this could take." Stated Shijima bluntly.

Kobayashi-sensei fixed her with a knowing look. "First and foremost, we need to contact your guardians."

Kyoko tensed under the scrutinizing gaze of the doctor, but didn't say anything. How did she explain that her father was dead, she hadn't seen or heard from her mother since she was seven, and that her legal guardians were her "rapist's" parents?

That's what they were thinking, wasn't it. That Sho was a rapist. She felt an uncontrollable shiver begin to work its way up her spine. The word was like a poison to her mind. "There's no one," she finally choked out, barely above a whisper. "I have no one." Really, what else was there.

"I beg your pardon?" Asked Okami-san. "We may not be your guardians, but you are not alone." Taisho gave a noise of agreement.

That was the last straw. Far too overwhelmed to keep her composure any longer, Kyoko once again dissolved into tears. This time she cried herself to sleep.

XXX

Her dreams were mostly unintelligible images and sounds interspersed with someone occasionally waking her long enough to shine another blinding light in her eyes before she drifted back to sleep.

When she finally woke again on her own she was groggy and disoriented. She could only assume that they had finally given her some kind of pain medicine because she was no longer hurting like she had been before. Somewhere in the back of her mind something acknowledged that this made since because pain medicine could be dangerous with a concussion.

The next thing that registered was that she was alone. It was dark outside the window but she didn't immediately spot a clock. Her stomach and bladder both grumbled at her. She was just trying to figure out how to go about getting to the restroom without disturbing her IV when the door to her room opened.

"Ah, Mogami-san, I am Nurse Amono. I'm glad to see you awake." The woman began checking Kyoko's IV, before unhooking the drip line from where it connected to the plug in her hand. "I imagine that you will be wanting to use the restroom."

Kyoko blushed but nodded. She was helped to her feet and Amono-san kept a steady hand on her shoulder until she could take hold of the rail in the bathroom. "I'll be waiting just outside the door."

When Kyoko was back in bed the nurse began to chatter a bit, filling Kyoko in on some of the things that had happened since she had been brought in. "So, you have now been here for a little over twenty-four hours. There were no complications in setting your wrist or placing the cast. No significant damage was caused by your concussion. You will probably be dizzy for a little while still, they gave you some strong pain medicine when they set the bone last night. They had to wait to make sure that your concussion wasn't going to cause further problems. Your catheter was taken out after you were brought back. Kobayashi-sensei didn't want you to have to deal with that while you were awake. The couple you are staying with left when visiting hours ended last night, but they wanted you to know that would be back this morning."

On and on she went as she checked Kyoko's vitals. Kyoko was beginning to wonder how long the woman could keep up the stream of words when she quieted and actually looked up at Kyoko.

"Breakfast will be coming around in about an hour. However, you haven't eaten since before you got here. I don't have a large selection at the nurse's station, but I do have pudding, jello, crackers, juice, and a couple pieces of fresh fruit. What would you like to tide you over?"

Kyoko requested an apple and watched the nurse leave. She was back only a second later with the requested fruit. She quickly showed Kyoko how to use the TV, telephone, and call button before leaving to continue her duties.

Kyoko was grateful for the quiet. She could only guess how she had manged to get a private room, but wasn't going to complain. So much had happened that she felt like her world was spinning out of control.

The apple manged to stave off her hunger, but did nothing to settle her stomach. She wanted to cry, to scream, or to just curl up and disappear. She wanted to be angry, but all she felt was hurt. She tried to repeat the mantra she had started previously, but the words felt dead. The whole world felt dead around her. What did she have without Sho?

Images of returning to Kyoto with her proverbial tail between her legs flashed through her mind, but what did she have in Kyoto? Surely Sho's parents wouldn't want anything to do with her. She had run off with their son. Failing to return with him would likely only invoke their anger. She could stay at the Darumaya, she knew, but that seemed somewhat empty too. What was the point in it? What was the point in any of it?

She felt a twinge of regret when she recalled the nurse's words about the Taisho and Okami-san having been there. Surely they weren't spending so much time at the hospital as that. What about the restaurant? Her other jobs were just jobs, but she didn't want the couple to suffer because they were trying to take care of her. If they showed up she would have to talk to them. She wasn't worth the potential damage to their business.

XXX

She had dosed off again, and wasn't that getting annoying. It seemed like she couldn't hold out for more than an hour without drifting off.

Okami-san was sitting in the chair next to her bed quietly reading. There was a tray of food sitting on her tray table and her stomach growled, reminding her that she had only eaten an apple. "Good morning, Okami-san," she said as she sat up.

A moment later Okami was there helping her and pulling the tray where she could reach it. "Please, dear, call me Mai. Kenji and I have discussed it and it seems only fitting that you call us by our names."

"Fitting?"

"We were granted emergency custody of you. It is only temporary, but since you said you have no one to contact..." Okami, no Mai-san trailed off.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko whispered, picking at her food. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry.

"Nonsense. You have only been with us for a few months, but we care about you, Kyoko-chan. Never doubt that."

Kyoko felt tears welling up in her eyes again. Something about this woman could reach past her barriers.

"You need to eat, dear."

Kyoko gave her a weak smile.

"Kenji and I went to your apartment and got your things. It looked like someone else had been there already and cleaned out most of what was there so there wasn't much to get besides your clothes and such. I can only assume that it was your... roommate." She waited for Kyoko to say something, but the girl remained silent. "I know that it wasn't really our place, but under the circumstances we talked to your landlord and he agreed to terminate the lease without penalty and returned your deposit."

She waited longer this time and finally, "That's fine. If he took so much with him I doubt he was coming back."

It was an oddly calm and mature response, but Mai took it in stride. "We've set up our extra room for you. We want you to stay with us. You work too hard and too many jobs as it is. You should slow down, maybe consider going to high school?"

Kyoko's heart leapt in her chest. It hadn't even occurred to her. For a brief moment a dazzling image of a normal high school life flashed in her mind's eye. It faded again quickly. It was all so overwhelming. "Maybe, I don't know."

Mai sighed but decided to let it go for now.

"What about the restaurant? Shouldn't you be..." Kyoko was cut off.

"We haven't had a vacation for years. We decided to close down for a few days. Before you protest, we believe you are worth it."

What could she say to that?

XXX

**Next Time:**

"_I am Dr. Fuji, I am a counselor affiliated with the hospital. Kobayashi-sensei and Detective Shijima have both asked that I speak with you."_

**End note: **The next several months in the story are going to be difficult to get through. The main body of the story will begin coinciding with the start of the anime/manga. So if things start to feel rushed you'll know why.


End file.
